How Digital Transformation can help optimise your factory floor and build complex products faster

Digital transformation in the aerospace industry has become critical to achieve smart manufacturing faster and maintain a competitive edge in a rapidly evolving landscape. Smart manufacturing technologies have become essential to manufacturing operations that are cost-sensitive, demand continuous improvement and focus on zero waste.
Digital transformation offers numerous benefits for aerospace manufacturing – enhancing efficiency, safety, and innovation. Here are some of the benefits:
1. Enhanced Manufacturing Processes
Additive Manufacturing: 3D printing is revolutionising parts production, enabling lighter and more complex components while reducing waste and lead times. Automation: Robotics and automation streamline assembly processes, improving precision and efficiency.
2. Improved Efficiency: Implementing technologies like IoT and automation helps increase production output and flexibility, reducing waste and downtime.
3. Supply Chain Management- Real-time data analytics can optimise supply chain management, improve inventory control and allow for better tracking of materials and components.
4. Improved Quality Control: Advanced data analytics can monitor manufacturing processes in real time, identifying defects early and ensuring that products meet stringent safety and quality standards.
5. Digital Twin Technology: Creating digital twins of parts allows manufacturers to simulate and analyse performance, leading to better design decisions and faster prototyping. This helps in testing and validating new concepts without physical prototypes.
6. Workforce Satisfaction: Digital tools can enhance training and development, providing employees with access to virtual reality simulations which helps skill development and reduces training costs.
7. Regulatory Compliance: Advanced tracking and documentation capabilities simplify compliance with aerospace regulations and standards, reducing the risk of penalties and enhancing safety.

MSM’s commitment to Smart Manufacturing
MSM aerospace fabricators has invested in Digital Twin technology to unlock production and capacity planning. Designing, developing and delivering parts for global OEMs, MSM is committed to constantly developing new solutions to exceed clients’ expectations.
Cutting-edge Digital Twin technology from Siemens, allows MSM to simulate individual production processes to identify, streamline and maximise operational efficiencies. This pairing of the virtual and physical worlds gives MSM never-before-seen analysis of data, and monitoring of systems to manage problems before they even occur, prevent downtime, and even plan by using simulations.
Incorporating digital technology also allows for customisation within the industry, giving MSM the ability to easily provide custom component production based on a customer’s unique requirements. The processes offer speed and longevity without risking safety, a paramount factor in the aerospace industry. The development cycle has seen a boost in efficiency, along with the ability to produce prototypes and parts quickly, it also allows quality assurance and testing processes to be carried out sooner, ensuring safety requirements are met at all times.
MSM’s Digital Transformation Roadmap also highlighted other areas of technology to explore. MSM has purchased an Ultimaker 3D printer to assist its R&D and new product introduction programmes. Specialising in metalforming, MSM manufactures complex components in high temperature metals. Additive manufacturing has been adopted for rapid production of prototypes, inspection fixtures and press tooling.
MSM is committed to further adoption of IR4 technology, the 3D printer is complementary to its existing metalforming simulation capability. The company has invested in other advanced manufacturing technologies including robotic welding and enrolling staff onto Industry 4.0 leadership courses. MSM has an 80+ year heritage in this industry, and is a forward-thinking, digitally compliant SME at the leading edge of advanced technologies.